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PUBLISHED ON EDITION NO.
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316L
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7/8/2009 |
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EPA brownfields federal funds
are at work in Lawrence |
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By Dalia Díaz
daliadiaz@rumbonews.com
Pictures courtesy of Groundwork Lawrence |
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Despite
the economic downtown, Federal dollars continue to be hard at
work enhancing sites in the City of Lawrence, via the
Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields grant
program. Brownfields programs provide funding and technical
assistance to local, tribal and state entities to assess,
safely clean and sustainably reuse brownfields (contaminated
sites). EPA programs address environmental, health and
economic concerns associated with brownfields.
Beginning in 1996, the City of Lawrence received $200,000 to
assess polluted sites. In 2001, the City was awarded $500,000
for a Revolving Loan Fund (RLF), to provide funding and
technical assistance to assess, safely clean and sustainably
reuse brownfields.
Despite stiff competion to receive these Federal funds,
Economic Development Project Officer, Sharon DuBois, of the
City’s Community Development Department, submitted and was
successfully awarded the maximum amount for each Brownfields
grants for new assessment and clean up funds on behalf of the
city, totaling $800,000. (In 2006, Lawrence’s Workforce
Investment Board received $200,000 in EPA Brownfields funding
to train workers for hazardous materials remediation).
These funds are not sitting idle. One of the grant
applications Ms. DuBois submitted outlined a plan to create
and implement a first-time ever, prioritized inventory of the
City’s Brownfields sites. With input from a community
volunteer team, an engineering firm was hired to create the
inventory.
As a result, the following sites were added to the city’s
prioritized Brownfields inventory and have been assessed or
cleaned up. Results include bringing these sites back into
use, and, in some cases, onto the tax roles:
Assessment:
50 Island Street, former Southwick Manufacturing mill, now
called “Union Crossing”, a mixed usage project within easy
walking distance of the city’s newer train station and which
will contain housing, daycare and other community usage;
290/300 Merrimack Street, a 4.45 acre site constructed in
1906, the former boiler house and coal/fuel oil storage shed
of the Wood Worsted Mill complex, under development for mixed
usage, including retail stores;
0 North Canal Street (next to Pemberton Park), a 6.40 acre
site being assessed as home to the new Lawrence Police
Department;
250 Canal Street, a former cotton, then paper mill, assessed
for potential housing.
Clean Up:
Former Oxford Paper Site, located in the heart of the Lawrence
Gateway District, this on-going clean-up project includes
plans for additional parking and green space;
Manchester Street Park, former Convanta Thermal Facility, in
the densely populated Arlington district, is a 5 acre site
nearing completion into a public park.
Future Brownfields projects include:
391 Water Street, the city’s former water treatment facility
to explore potential usage;
143-145 Haverhill Street, a dilapidated property which will be
converted to parking
For additional information on the city’s EPA Brownfields grant
programs, contact: Sharon DuBois, Project Officer, Economic
Development, Community Development Department, 147 Haverhill
Street, Lawrence, MA 01840, (978) 620-3527,
sdubois@cityoflawrence.com.
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Manchester Street
Park concept illustration. |
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Before picture of
the Manchester Street Park. |
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